Good News and Bad News

The good news is that my dossier was submitted to the DIA (the Vietnamese government) on April 22nd. Okay, that was all the good news. Here is the rest....

On Friday the Embassy in Vietnam issued an adoption warning. They state that the DIA will accept dossiers only until July 1 (I made that cutoff) and only process adoptions for people matched with children (referrals made) by September 1st. If I don't have a referral by Sept. 1, they will return my dossier to the adoption agency. You can read the actual warning here http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/adoption_warning0408.html. This decision from the Vietnamese government is in reaction to the following statement issued by our embassy that accuses them of widespread baby trafficking and other irregularities. Here is the actual statement if you want to read it, but it is very long and detailed http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/irreg_adoptions042508.html. While baby selling is never okay, they make it sound like it is very widespread throughout all the adoption agencies and all the Vietnam orphanages. However, most adoptions are legitimate and many agencies hold themselves and the orphanages they work with to very high standards. I believe my agency is one of those, hence referrals are often slow. It is sad that a few unethical agencies and orphanage directors are ruining the chances for everyone to adopt a child from Vietnam and for a child to find a forever family. I just wish the two countries had been able to agree to an extension or come up with an interim solution that would still enable legitimate adoptions to continue. Needless to say, this was a bad weekend for all those in the adoption community. I've corresponded with several others in my situation that are heartbroken like me and have cried many tears this past weekend.

What does this mean for me? I'm not sure. It is very doubtful that I would receive a referral in the next 4 months. I'm still at #26 and the referrals haven't been coming in very fast. However, there is still a chance. I hope that my agency will get more information this week and hopefully let those of us on the wait list have an idea what our chances will be. I don't have many options for adoption other than Vietnam and have felt like my daughter was there. My heart still feels like God led me down this path for a reason and because of that faith, I will still pray that it will work out somehow. I read a quote from another blog that summed it up for me this morning:

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust him fully and let go,

only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall,

or He'll teach you how to fly!

One More Step Down

After quite a bit of running around and jumping through hoops, my dossier was sent to Vietnam on March 28th. It is currently being translated in Saigon and will then be sent on to Hanoi so that it can be logged in with the Vietnamese government agency in charge of international adoption. It feels really good to be through this next step of the process.

The agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam (the Memorandum of Agreement or MOU) will not be renewed in order to keep adoptions going between the two countries. It is set to expire September 1st and they were not able to come to a compromise at this time. The hope is that even though it will not be renewed, any dossiers logged in will be allowed to continue through the actual adoption. What is not known is what the cutoff date will be for being "logged in". The latest is probably Sept. 1 and the earliest we have heard may be May 1st. Hopefully having mine in before May 1st will qualify me and allow my adoption to go through. 

My agency received two referrals last week for boys. That decreased my wait list number to 27. This has been a very stressful time for me, my family, and all my Vietnam adoption PAPs.  I hope that we will all know the "official" process soon and that it will be as advantageous as possible to all waiting to bring their children home.

Happy New Year!!

Chuc Mung Nam Moi - Happy New Year! The lunar year started February 7th and it is the year of the rat. Vietnam celebrates the lunar new year in what they call Tet. Most offices close down and families get together over approimately a two week time to celebrate.

There is a very good chance that Amelia will be born under the sign of the rat. My mother is delighted with that since she is a rat too. (i.e. born under the sign of the rat) ;)

The offices in Vietnam have reopened now and our agency received three referrals last week. That takes my number into the twenties!!!! I'm currently number 29 and for some reason that seems like an accomplishment. I hope the new year continues to bring many referrals our way. In the meantime I am keeping busy with work, updating the guest bath and working on my dossier. I will try to update more often now and will include pictures of the room soon. It is storage for bath items right now, but hopefully not for long.

Finally, An Update!!!!!

I know it has been a long time since I have blogged.  Not much has changed with my number but I did receive good news on New Years Eve.  My agency can submit a limited number of dossiers to the Vietnamese government at one time and I have finally been asked to start my dossier prep.  Yeah!  The dossier consists of a lot more paperwork such as police clearance, doctor's letter, employer letter, financial statement, forms and more forms.  They all have to be notarized and then submitted to the state for authentification.  Also because of the length of time waiting already, I will need a homestudy update and have my fingerprints redone.  I have a social worker that will come by the house again to make sure it is suitable for a child.  She is very nice and professional, but it still makes you kind of nervous for some reason. (Hopefully she won't open too many closet doors) ;)  The aim is to have my dossier logged in with the Vietnamese government by June 1st.  There is a chance (hopefully remote) that the U.S. and Vietnamese governements will not renew their agreement to complete adoptions between the two countries.  The agreement expires later this year unless they come to a new agreement. The hope is that even though I may not have a referral by that time, they will allow adoptions to continue for dossiers logged in by that date.  It is all an unknown at this time, but not worth stressing about too much yet.  I hope everyone had a great holiday season and a special congrats to Gina on the adoption of her two new boys.

Like an Elephant Pregnancy

Vietnamese Adoption: It's like an elephant pregnancy ....only more paperwork!

There is a t-shirt with a similar saying about China adoptions. However, I thought it was very appropriate for Vietnam too. Elephants have a typical gestation period of 22 months. That means I still have awhile to go!

I haven't posted lately because there has not been a lot of movement in my number and a LOT of things going on in the world of Vietnam adoption that have had me concerned. I won't go into a lot of detail as this has been discussed on many blogs and yahoo group postings. However for those of you unaware of the happenings, here is the "much summarized" version. There have been several families in Vietnam to adopt their children who have been issued (or threatened with being issued) NOIDs. NOIDs are a Notice of Intent to Deny that is issued by the U.S. Embassy when they want to investigate the paperwork further to decide if it is legitimate and the child is actually an "orphan" under the U.S. criteria. These people have already adopted their children as far as the Vietnam government is concerned, but the U.S. won't issue a visa so that the child can be brought back into the U.S. I have a lot of compassion for the families caught in this predicament, however I am a strong proponent of making sure adoptions are as ethical as possible. The problems are mainly from 2 provinces and with only a few agencies. Children's Hope (my agency) does not work with orphanages in these provinces and has not been under NOID investigation. They may have a longer wait than some agencies, but I am proud of their integrity and feel confident when the time comes that my adoption will be legitimate. I want (need) to be able to look my daughter in the eye and honestly tell her about the circumstances of her adoption and not have lingering questions about its legitimacy. I will not assign blame for the current situation, but will let our government sort it out. There is the possibility that an innocent mistake was made and the decision will be eventually overturned. However, there is also the possibility that the adoption was made under unethical circumstances. The Embassy stated recently that "We are deeply concerned, however, by confirmed cases of child selling, and by evidence that children are being released for adoption with out the consent of the birth parents." A couple of the agencies have had questionable time frames from approval to referral and from referral to travel. Hopefully this will shed light on any unethical actions and improve the adoption process as a whole.

Our government has now enacted a new process that will hopefully prevent most of this sort of thing from happening. We will now file certain paperwork before travelling so that investigations can be completed prior to travel. The bad news of this is that there has been a lot of talk (speculation) about Vietnam closing down adoptions again. They just reopened to the U.S. in the last couple of years and the bi-lateral agreement is up for renewal in 2008. Hopefully the two countries can work together to extend the agreement. My agency has has told us that they have no knowledge of a closing at this time. However, it is scary to those of us who don't have a referral yet. I'll keep you updated and we should know more in the next 5 months or so.

Now for a couple more elephant pictures from my Zambia trip. Yes Julie, you can never have too many elephants. ;)

Amelia's First Baby Doll

Amelia has an American Girl Bitty Baby with all the accessories from my cousin's family. This was her first baby doll and they picked it to look a little like her. She is so cute and has her own pink trunk with bottles, rattle, gown, blanket and bib. I know she will love it! Thanks again Connie, Brian, Jennifer & Elizabeth. Your support and positive thoughts have meant a lot to me. After visiting the American Girl store in Chicago this summer when I visited my friend Meg, I'm sure they will be seeing a lot of my business in the future. The coordinating items seem endless and so very cute!

After the referrals my agency received this week, I think my new number is probably 39. I will have been on the waiting list one year this next week. Adoption is an emotional rollercoaster and is not for the faint of heart. My faith has been tested a lot this last year, but I know things will happen when they are supposed to.

October in the Desert

Okay, this isn't really what October looks like where I live. This picture is from my trip to Vermont this time last year. However, it is starting to cool down some (below 100, sometimes below 90) and I am ready!

My agency received referrals last week for 2 healthy infant boys and 2 special needs children. I believe that takes me down to at least 40 on the waiting list. We will no longer get updated wait list numbers when we get the weekly agency updates. This is a new policy and not very popular. However, I know the agency must have their reasons. I will estimate my number based on the referrals that come in and hope I get close. It is amazing how you set your sights all week on Thursday/Friday when the agency updates come out! The additional good news this week is that our agency is now working with another orphanage.